Joseph h



(No Model.)

J. H. BOWLEY. ROTATABLE EGG CASE;

No. 496,184. Patented Apr. 25; 1893.

Fig.

mwJ nesses: Ivzzrenior; jm.am%wi% fig UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. BOWLEY, OF MARENGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN M.STOOKWELL, OF SAME PLACE.

ROTATAB LE EGG-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,184, dated April25, 1893.

Application filed July 29, 1892- TO all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J osEPH H. BOWLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marengo, county of McHenry, State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Gases, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce an egg case for theprotection of the egg not only from a breakage of the shell but from theunion of the yelk and white which results from the constant jar incidentto railway transportation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is an end elevation of myshipping case complete. Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section showingthe egg containing case and the divisions for each egg. Fig. 3, is alongitudinal vertical section of the complete shipping case showing theegg containing case, its supporting trunnions and the spring bearingstherefor.

In shipping eggs by railway it is found that with the ordinarilyconstructed cases the jarring of the cars causes the yolk to break andmix with the white producing a sloppy mess within the shell. This stateof affairs is readily detected by professional egg testers at the pointof consignment, and the result is that a much lower price per dozen mustbe accepted for the eggs than if they were in a perfect state. Thebreakage of the shells is guarded against by supporting the eggcontaining case upon coiled springs and also by surrounding the eggsclosely with saw dust, oats, ground cork or other suitable packing.

When packed eggs are placed in cold storage it is necessary to turn thecases half over at intervals of two or three days to prevent the heavyyelks from setting to the shell and displacing the whites and whichwould also finally result in the breaking of the yelk,permitting it tomix with the white. This turning over of large numbers of cases is amatter involving great expenditure of time and labor as each case mustbe turned and piled up in a different place, that all the cases may bereached and turned.

In the construction of this shipping case I provide the outer box 1,provided with the re- Serial No. 441,628- (No model.)

movable cover 2, and the vertical slot 3, cut through the upper part ofeach end and extending downward to the center thereof. At the bottom ofeach one of these slots I bore the vertical holes 4, downward into thematerial of the ends of the box and insert therein the coiledcompression springs 5. A stem 6, is placed within each of the springs 5,and a bearing shoe 7, secured to the top of the stem 6, supports thetrunnions 8 and 9 giving" to the inner or egg containing case 10, acushioned movement. These trunnions S and 9 are secured by screwspassing through their bases to the ends of the inner or egg containingcase 10, and on its longitudinal center line. This inner case 10, has aremovable cover 11, and the ordinary removable divisions for each egg.The trunnion 8, has the notched disk 12, outside the end of the outerbox 1, which is engaged by the pivoted gravity pawl 13, the outer end ofthe trunnion shaft being square to receive a crank or wrench by means ofwhich the inner case is rotated without removing the cover or disturbingthe box in any way.

The inner case has a middle strengthening partition 14, dividing itsinterior into two separate compartments.

To prepare this case for shipment the inner case is filled with eggs,setting them in, one layer at a time, With the usual divisionsseparating each from the others and sifting in the saw dust, oats, corkor other packing material, as each layer is completed and between thelayers a sheet of straw board to separate the eggs of the continuouslayers. After the last layer is in the box, is filled evenly with thepacking material and the cover secured in position. This innerreceptacle is then placed within the outer case, the trunnions, S and 9,bearing upon the spring supported shoes 7 and the cover of the outer boxplaced in position.

When the eggs are to be put into cold storage the gravity pawl 13, isset to engage the notched disk 12, and the cases piled in such a manneras to allow access to the trunnions 8, that by means of a wrench orcrank the inner box may be rotated as often as is desirable.

For transportation by rail the pawl is thrown back against the stop 15,and the jar of the moving train will cause the inner case to rotateslowly on its trunnions turning the eggs slowly. The supporting coiledsprings for the inner case save it from sudden jars and obviate thebreakage incident to dropping of the case and like accidents inhandling.

I claim as my invention In an egg packing case the combination of

